The first two days of riding were deliberately short, meaning about 20 to 25 miles per day, averaging about 2,000 feet of elevation gain per day. We were just getting started, after all, and that was enough! The hills were much more than Europe too. Then somehow, we decided that after 2 days of riding, we were ready to take on the world, apparently.
So, we made our third day as long and hard as the first two days combined into one mega day. We rode about 45 miles and climbed about 4,400 feet. It was hard but beautiful.
We left early, about 8:30AM, and rode steadily until we came to Omapere on the coast, where a lovely coffee was enjoyed. The sand dunes along the coast were unexpected; the whiteness looked like snow from a distance.
We climbed up the first of two big hills to enter Waipoua Forest, then dropped down to see “Tane Mahuta”, the largest Kauri tree in New Zealand, which is frankly awe inspiring.
“Tane Mahuta – the Lord of the Forest”. No kidding. Ancient…about 2,000 years old and radiating something that is hard to put into words. So amazing. The photos do not do it justice, of course.
After leaving the tree, we rode up the second big climb and then straggled on to our campground, expecting to reunite with Sonja/Grant and family only to find that they had gone to a different campground. Darn…we stayed where we were for the night and saw them in the morning. The campsite, Trounson Kauri Park, was basic but empty with nice solar heated showers, a functional kitchen but no services around it. That’s one big difference between Europe and NZ. In Europe campgrounds are near small towns or villages at least, with camp stores and sometimes even bars! Here, we bring food for the night and need to check to see what is available at the site before we go. More like backpacking.
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